[ In 991227 Darren Willard asked for advice about a replacement
 [ player action for his $50 gutted Cable piano.

Darren, it all depends how much you are willing to spend on the project.

First, evaluate the Cable piano.  Make sure is has no major problems,
like a bad pinblock or a split treble bridge.  When considering a piano
for a retrofit player action the piano must be in top condition.

If the old piano has a pleasing and strong tone, chances are the
downbearing and soundboard are okay, providing the pins are tight
enough to hold it in tune.  I would advocate replacing the bass
strings.  A strong bass complements the overall tone of the piano.

There is a strong possibility that the hammers will have to be
replaced.  The old hammers may be dried out, and will quickly wear
out if played much.  Use Ronsen hammers, never Schaff or Player Piano
Company hammers.  (I strongly suspect they are the same thing.)

The Cable Company built really good pianos, and you will find good
craftsmanship throughout; this includes the Euphiona pianos.  The
original stack was two-tier, with rocking levers that engaged the
whippens.  While the old original lower valve seat design was a little
leaky, this action works okay with a little modification to the lower
valve seats.

The scale count will determine if another stack can be used or not.
Most Cables were no deeper than an average upright.  If yours is one
of these, your choice of stack is limited.  I would try an H. C. Bay,
Neuman, Pratt-Read, two-tier Baldwin or single-valve Standard.

The quickest way to cause serious problems with this piano is to
attempt to install a R.A.M. (Ragtime) pneumatic kit.  That is a lot
of money spent for mediocre performance.

For the same money, I would suggest a 80-note QRS Pianomation system,
installed in the original stack location with compound levers.  Do
_not_ install this unit under the keybed on an upright piano!  If you
are interested in this type of installation, contact me.  I have done a
lot of work in this area.  Richard Brandle has written software called
"WindPlay" that complements this system, that will play the computer
disk files of reproducing piano on the Pianomation system with
excellent expression.

Many purists may laugh at this statement, but Pianomation seems to be
the best retrofit system going, if you are willing to install it in
such a manner that it will operate properly.  An old gutted player
piano is an excellent candidate for this system.

Andy Taylor
Tempola Music Rolls